Acetate tapes – does Last Tape Head Treatment and Preservative work on them?

Hi Walter,I have been using the LAST Tape Head Treatment for some years now and haven’t found anything to complain about. I am interested in your Tape Preservative product as well, which I haven’t used before. As most of my tapes are pre-1970’s I would like to inquire about the compatibility with acetate tapes and if long-term tests were also conducted with this specific type of tape.

Many thanks, N.B.

Hello Mr. B,

At the time we were testing tapes, it was in the late 1970’s, and much of the tape available was acetate-based. So our experience includes both acetate and current formulations of tape backing. In short, our testing did include acetate tapes, and our treatment does work with them.

Current tapes, which have a polyester binding, can stretch under stress. But acetate tape tends to be brittle and break when stretched. If your tapes were exposed to humidity over time, they will respond significantly better to treatment if they are dried first. I recommend reading this article about drying tapes – It is both amusing and informative!